"How Safe Is India?" Tourist’s iPhone Safety Experiment in Kerala Goes Viral

A German influencer, Younes Zarou, recently put India’s safety reputation to the test in an unusual, but revealing, experiment. During a visit to Kerala, Zarou placed an iPhone on a crowded bench in a local market and discreetly recorded what happened next.

Beginning at around 4:30 pm, he walked away and observed from a hidden vantage point as dozens of people passed by. Many glanced at the iPhone, an expensive device by local standards, yet none attempted to take or move it. The device continued lying untouched for over an hour, until about 6 pm, when Zarou ended the experiment and revealed the intact iPhone to the camera.

Uploaded just two days ago, the Instagram video has already amassed over 40 million views, a testament to its viral impact. Viewer reactions have been mixed, some herald it as a testament to the country’s security, while others remain skeptical. One user pointed out,"If you keep a big tripod and big camera in front… Then nobody will rob your phone… I am 100 percent sure if someone had taken your phone then this video would never come.”

Another commenter wryly advised, "Don’t try this in Bihar." This isn’t Zarou’s first brush with attention in India. Earlier last month, he was briefly detained by Bengaluru Police for filming on Church Street without the requisite public-event permit.

Zarou, who began his rise to digital fame via TikTok in 2019 through creative illusion videos, now continues to spark conversation, even if it’s by testing how a nation responds when trust is left lying around.